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Ruskan Empire
Holy Ruskan Empire The Ruskan Empire, also called the Holy Ruskan Empire, '''and the Second Russian Empire, 'is one of three super-states on Earth. It comprised the terrestrial and extraterrestrial dominions controlled by the Ruskan Empire. It is the foremost global power on Earth. Origins and the Second Imperial Era The Second Russian Empire was founded on February 10, 2106 after the Russian Civil War and subsequent dissolving of the Russian Federation. Arseny Ruskan was named the first Russian Emperor on February 20, 2106. His rule was marked by great expansion in the arenas of exploration of the Solar System. Domestically, he maintained policies of military isolationism in order to avoid the atrocities of the late 21st century. Emperor Ruskan pursued reform the economy of the nation, as it had been fractured due to the Russian Civil War. He became an extremely well liked public figure because of his "vibrant" and "eccentric" personality. Ruskan sought to reunite the Russian provinces in an empire that stretched from Ireland to the easternmost reaches of Kamchatka. The fact that Ruskan was extremely well liked by the populace and the fact that the economy was undergoing re-invigoration by government programs and organizations led to an increased sense of national identity among the constituent provinces, states, and territories of the colossal Second Russian Empire. Under his reign however, tension between the rural eastern provinces and the urban west boiled over into the secession of the Kamchatka province and its subsequent unification into the Free Republic of Kamchatka. Emperor Ruskan, despite his isolationist policy, declared war on the newly formed nation. He cited the "importance of Russian unity and nationalism in the trying time of a newborn nation." On December 2, 2114, Arseny Ruskan was on a visit to the Kamchatkan city of Kavacha during the Russian-Siberian War as a morale boost to Imperial troops. In Kavacha, a local citizen named Hemdian Ivanor shot Arseny Ruskan in the chest with a Tarkatan Metalworks FM-88. Emperor Ruskan died instantly. The uproar of the populace led to a growing number of terrorist attacks in Free Republic of Kamchatka territory, and eventually the country surrendered. The Free Republic was reinstated as the Kamchatkan Territory, a downgrade from its prewar status as a province. Most historian cite the assassination of Emperor Arseny Ruskan and the conclusion of the Russian-Siberian War as the end of the Second Imperial Era and the beginning of an era known as the Dark Times. The Dark Times Most historians consider the official renaming of the Second Russian Empire as the Holy Ruskan Empire to be the official start of the Dark Times. The Dark Times themselves were marked by religious zealousy, tension between the Empire and other world powers, and expansion of Imperial influence in outer space. Carenda I During the Dark Times, the health of the Earth was clearly declining. The Sub-Opal Corollary was published in 2096, establishing that the Earth was running out of crucial metals. The Corollary proved that, by current consumption rates, copper, gold, uranium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc would be too expensive to extract from the Earth's crust to turn a profit on any product using the metals. Emperor Carenda I identified this problem, and as a response took the necessary steps to promote profitable mining opportunities outside Earth, on the other celestial bodies in the Solar System. Of the celestial bodies, the most often targeted were Luna, the Asteroid Belt, and Mars. A new era of expansion began during this time. A great number of workers migrated to the underground living complexes on Luna, the mining stations in the Asteroid Belt, and the wayward dome cities of Mars. During the Dark Times, the Earth began suffering a decline in population. This event can be traced to more effective forms of contraception, less social and economic purpose for reproduction, and more societal stigma from having children. The addition of an increasingly depressive economy made it difficult to financially support offspring. Emperor Carenda I was the successor to Emperor Ruskan. Because of the fact that he simply was not Arseny Ruskan, he was disliked by the majority of Ruskan citizens, but most foreigners were indifferent to his rule. He expanded the role of the Church of Russia in the Ruskan government, leading to considerable dissent from the public. At first, the populace did not desire the religious to have any say in Imperial affairs. As time went on, and the economic, social, and political evidence of the Dark Times became more apparent, and more and more began to rely on the personal comfort and mental security that religion and faith offered. After 19 years of rule, Carenda I resigned from his position of Emperor, stating that "I believe there are those who can do better." In the legacy of Emperor Carenda, the most often focused on points are his completion of the Venusian Orbit Complex, his reform in religious affairs, and his isolationist policies. Aelianus In the 100 years between the resignation of Carenda I and the end of the Dark Times, offworld colonies of the Empire flourished and expanded their territory. This rapid expansion of the Ruskan Empire in the Solar System led to a growing frequency of clashes with the Brazilian Federation and Republic of China, both of which had similar goals of expansion and colonization. These clashes, which began as arguments over which nation was allowed to colonize certain territory, culminated in the Ceres War in 2209. The Holy Ruskan Empire demanded that the Brazilian Federation allow a joint colonization effort of Ceres, the largest celestial body in the Asteroid Belt. The Federation argued that the Empire had no right to attempt colonization, as Brazil had already built several dome cities on the planetoid that were populated. The Holy Ruskan Empire, under the leadership of Aelianus I, declared war on the Brazilian Federation on December 19, 2209 in order to gain control of Ceres. The initial attacks of the war were one sided, with consistent Ruskan victories as the first Ruskan Imperial Fleet space vessels proved themselves in combat. The organized, disciplined, and advanced Imperial Fleet attacked methodically and without relent, tiring out the smaller and less advanced warships of the Federation. After the destruction of the Gleaming Station over Ceres, the Brazilian Federation sued for peace before the Empire would be able to land troops on the surface. The war came to a close six months after it started on May 19, 2209. The Ceres War and the policies of Aelianus are viewed as the beginning of the end of the Dark Times. The Ceres War invigorated the industries of the mainland Empire, creating jobs to produce much needed war machines to construct the first generation of warships for the Ruskan Imperial Fleet. Emperor Aelianus's rule was marked by his bordering-on-extremist imperialist policies of offworld expansion, and his desire to rebuild the collapsing mainland Ruskan economy. The Ceres War helped further his agenda greatly, and some historians jokingly call the Ceres War 'Aelianus's War' because the war itself seemed to be a manifestation of Aelianus's policies. Halyxerxes I Following Emperor Aelianus's rule, ending in 2233 at his death was the rule of Halyxerxes I. Halyxerxes followed in the footsteps of Aelianus, maintaining imperialist policies. Halyxerxes believed staunchly in the role of the Ruskan Empire as a moral and religious leader of the human race, stating that "the Empire must fulfill its place as humanity's highest ruler." Under his rule, the Ruskan Imperial Fleet grew massively because of a drastic increase in funding. Halyxerxes I wanted to expand the influence and power the Empire could assert over the Chinese and the Federation in space. Carenda II Halyxerxes I died in 2239 of prostate cancer he refused to let anyone operate on. In his place rose the son of Carenda I, Carenda II. Carenda II was a self-proclaimed progressive who desired to cut the budget of the military and promote growth in the major colonies, as well as the Empire's largest cities on Earth. His reign was cut short when he resigned from the seat of Emperor because of his declining health at the age of 91. Carenda II ruled for 10 months, causing his policies to refuse integration into the government in time. Halyxerxes II Replacing Carenda II was the son of Halyxerxes I, Halyxerxes II. He desired to perpetuate the policies of his late father. During his reign, the High Guard was created, a brigade of elite soldiers tasked with the defense of the Emperor and any who that Emperor commanded they protect. This organization persisted past the end of the rule of Halyxerxes II. Halyxerxes II was removed from office in 2250 by the Supreme Justice Torian after the discovery of a felony in Halyxerxes personal record. The First Rim War Sedian II After the removal of Halyxerxes II, Sedian II rose to the seat of Emperor. Sedian II was a staunch supporter of defense. The defining characteristic of Sedian II's rule was his emphasis on exploration of the System, and the launch of the first probes to explore beyond the Solar System. Under his reign, the Scout Legion was created as a branch under the Imperial Fleet. Empire at War On August 2, 2251, the National Preservation Alliance detected an organized group of craft moving in formation toward the Outer Solar System. Their trajectory was tracked to the Ruskan station Exos, a large space station in the space between the orbits of Uranus and Saturn. The Imperial Fleet mobilized the largest and most prestigious battle group, the Azorean Fleet, to occupy the space around Exos in the event of some sort of attack. Upon the convergence of the fleet on the position, the unidentified craft changed course. Their new heading was the Republic colony of Vaasa (Pluto). In response, the Chinese mobilized their own state of the art fleet, the Hainan Battlegroup. The Chinese fleet arrived days before the foreign vessels arrived. When they arrived at the dwarf planet, a quick and decisive battle ensued, and the Chinese Hainan Battlegroup was lost. Thus the war unofficially began in its first state, priming the first belligerents as the Republic of China and the alien fleet still shrouded in mystery. Large evacuation efforts began in the Outer Solar System by the Chinese to minimize the loss of life in the event that the many stations on the Rim were to be attacked by the menace. The Brazilian Federation and Ruskan Empire were unsure and skeptical of the degree of the threat posed by the alleged intruders. Not many knew of the attack until weeks after. Contact was lost with the alien fleet for a time, before it reappeared in the Neptune Sector. The Azorean Fleet quickly moved to form a defensive perimeter around the Trans-Neptunian Station, a strategically important military and civilian structure in one of the Lagrangian points of Neptune. Two of the remaining three Chinese battlegroups were stationed in orbit of Neptune, in order to stop the aliens from attacking the many cloud colonies and gas gathering platforms in orbit of the world. The alien fleet split into two portions to attack both the Chinese Fleets and the Trans-Neptunian Station. In the ensuing battle, a surprising number of alien vessels fell to the fleets of the Republic and Empire, despite both human fleets taking huge losses. Though it was a tactical defeat, it had served as a victory for the morale of the forces resisting the alien fleet. Both the Chinese and Ruskan fleets opted to retreat rather than fight a battle they could not win. After the conclusion of the battle and retreat of the Chinese and Ruskan fleets, an effort began to trace the alien fleet back to its origin. That origin was defined as the distant star of Tau Sagittarii. Upon this discovery, the three super-states of Earth convened in Moscow to decide a course of action against the Sagittarians. These leaders came to the conclusion that the unfettered cooperation of the Republic of China, Brazilian Federation, and Holy Ruskan Empire in the form of a formal military alliance was essential to the defeat of the Sagittarian Fleet and survival of the human race. Thus was the creation of the Triple Alliance, or what was commonly called by the general populace the Trilliance. The nations of the Triple Alliance conspired to build up their defensive power in the form of an impenetrable defensive perimeter in the Asteroid Belt, headquartered on the Federation world of Ceres. As the war progressed, skirmishes and ambushes by both sides in the Outer System came to indicate the tactical and technological prowess of the invaders. Dialogue was attempted once with the invaders, who did not respond. The Sagittarian Fleet broke through the Triple Alliance defense in the Battle of Ceres. The Triple Alliance fleets retreated further into the Inner System. After several weeks of stalemate, the Sagittarians suddenly vanished from Ceres orbit, and reappeared a short distance away from Earth. In the resulting battle, every resource humanity had at its disposal was thrown at the Sagittarian Fleet. Upon the apparent failure of ballistic missiles and fighter raids, Operation Fishbarrel took place. The plan was executed without fault. The remaining fleets of Triple Alliance vessels arrived to engage the Sagittarian Fleet in unison with the experimental Ruskan warship ''Tuman. During the Battle over Earth, the majority of the Sagittarian's vessels were destroyed. After the destruction of the three largest battleships in the Sagittarian armada, the remnants of the alien fleet retreated. In the ensuing months, the last of the Sagittarians were hunted down and destroyed, with the exception of the main colony ship, which was unarmed. For the first time, communications were established between the Triple Alliance ships and the Sagittarians. After a long period of time learning each others languages in a rudimentary fashion, three delegated representing the Triple Alliance ventured on board the colony ship to present a treaty to end the war. The Sagittarians agreed to the terms of the treaty. Post-war Years Sedian II remained Emperor of the Ruskan Empire after the signing of the treaty to end the First Rim War. Sedian II was seen publicly as a heroic figure, because of his steadfast position and unbreaking loyalty to the Empire and what it stood for. He was seen as standing up for the values of the Empire in a time when it would have been easy to abandon them for the illusion of survival. Under his reign, the role of religion in Ruskan society became more widespread. Sedian II's riveting annual sermons captivated the public and led to the formation of a cultist organization known as the Sedian Disciples. The Disciples took the teachings of Sedian II to the extreme. Sedian II had taught of the value of country, faith in God and his Will, and the importance of a strong and centralized government that could stand up to threats like the Alliance of Liminos. The Sedian Disciples broke away and formed a commune on Mars, far from the reach of the Ruskan government. The Sagittarians possessed advanced technologies that became highly sought after during and after the First Rim War. Mysterious weapons and propulsion technologies gained the attention of the Triple Alliance during the war, with the first salvage operations being conducted in the aftermath of the Battle over Earth. The Ruskan Empire held onto a fleet much larger than the Chinese Republic or Brazilian Federation after the war, so they used this fact to scour the Solar System for remnants of Alliance of Liminos weapons, engines, and ships. Much was learned from their advanced laser weapons, powerful ion engines, and finally their highly advanced skip-engines. The skip-engines were a propulsion technology that created a temporary matter-antimatter rift in the front of a vehicle of travel, using the immense implosion of the rift to propel the vehicle a maximum of 10 light years (4 parsecs). This innovation in transportation jumped the technological chasm of interstellar travel. The Ruskan Empire tasked its best scientists with reverse engineering the system in order to mass produce it for the Imperial Fleet. Renderus